Yay!!! Nine reviews, I think that's a record for me, all thanks to the anonymous reviews… once again, thanks Sofi and Ria. And of course, thanks all of you, my loyal readers who waste their time reading my sad, pathetic, superhero fantasies. I'm glad you like it, cause I don't really write for you, but I keep writing for you!! This chapter is riffed with Jonda… and some Jott… and PHOENIX!! I love the Phoenix, those are my favorite parts of my story. I hope you all enjoy, and keep reading and reviewing!!!
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"I don't know if I want to do this." Scott hesitated as he sat in a chair beside the professor at the cerebro console.
"I understand, Scott, and I can't make you do anything. It is always your choice." The professor tried to comfort him.
"But if I say, 'no', you'll guilt me into it, right?"
"It is my duty to the world to do so." Xavier smiled. Scott forced a brief curl to the corners of his lips, but sighed at the same time. "I will use cerebro to augment your thoughts as much as possible. Now, I can't enter the mind of the Phoenix myself, but if you call to her, she may respond." Scott nodded. "If you feel you need to stop for any reason, just imagine yourself home, and you will be." Scott nodded again as he closed his eyes.
He found himself flying through space faster than any roller coaster he'd ever ridden before. The wind blew over his face and through his hair. He rather enjoyed the ride, being able to forget his troubles and responsibilities to the world for a few moments. He had lost himself in the refreshing liberation when he hit an invisible wall. He fell and landed on a wooden floor that wasn't there only seconds before. He nursed his head and shoulders and rubbed the back of his neck when he heard a chilling voice behind him.
"Why have you cried out for me?" He snapped around to see Jean standing over him clad in black leather, her voice cold and empty.
"Jean?" He said as he stood up. She only stared at him, but he was so relieved to see her face again for the first time in so long, he ran to hug her. She waved her hand and he hit another invisible barrier between them.
"The one you call 'Jean Grey' no longer exists." She said distantly.
"That's not true." He said, regaining his ground after another hit. "I can feel her struggling inside you. She's scared… and alone." The Phoenix cringed at his words, having to fight back feelings and morals flaring up within her. She grew angry at Scott and waived her hand again, flinging him against another invisible wall, but this time she held him there.
"Why do you make me feel these feelings?!" She shouted. "I derive no joy from your pain."
"Because you love me… and I love you." Scott said, fighting for air as his chest was pressed up against the wall behind him. He was held securely in place, but the pressure kept coming, trying to flatten him. The Phoenix looked up at him, his words piquing her fascination.
"Love?" She mumbled as she walked closer to Scott, releasing some of the pressure she was applying to his ribcage as she held him against the wall. "What is… love?"
"'Love?' Scott said as searched for words. "Love is a special feeling…" as he spoke, he wanted to vomit under the cheesiness, but couldn't think quickly enough to say anything else. "It's when you would do anything for someone to make them happy… just to see them smile."
"You mean like generosity?" Phoenix said as she lowered Scott to the ground. "Emma tells me how generous she is all the time. She and Sebastian let me stretch out my powers on real, sentient people instead of worthless, unresponsive dummies."
"No…" Scott sighed, relieved to be on the same level with her, and no longer feeling as if an elephant were sitting on his chest. "Generosity is doing something for someone else because it makes you feel better, and while that doesn't make it any less noble… it's just not the same. Love is more than that." The Phoenix looked at him, intrigued. "Love is disregarding your own pain and suffering just so the person you love doesn't have to feel an ounce." The Phoenix clenched her teeth and rubbed her head as if she had a headache, but wouldn't let it interfere with her learning.
"But why would anyone sacrifice their own pleasure to willingly feel pain for nothing in return?"
"Because when you love someone, seeing them in pain hurts you worse than anything anyone could ever do to you." Scott said calmly, all his feelings of loneliness and fear that he'd bottled up since Jean took off were rushing to the forefront of his mind. He was concerned by the Phoenix as he noticed her her head was hurting her.
"But… why?" Phoenix was now holding her head and bending over in pain under some kind of pressure on her brain. She attempted to pretend as if nothing was wrong, but her struggle was now obvious. "Why… her…?"
"I don't know." Scott said, slowly approaching her to try and help her. "You don't choose the people you love." With that, The Phoenix dropped to her knees, clutching her head and writhing in agony as she fought with her mind.
"But I don't… I don't… I don't underst--" Phoenix was cut off as she let out a blood curdling howl and the flamed bird emerged from her body. It shrieked and rapidly disappeared as she fell further onto all fours. There was a moment of an eerie calm where neither she, nor Scott, moved a muscle. Then suddenly she looked up at him.
"Scott?" Jean asked, making sure she could believe her eyes.
"Jean!" He shouted with joy as he saw her eyes light up and her voice fill with emotion. He quickly knelt down on the floor to help her up when she leapt into his arms. He sat down on the floor next to her, enveloping himself in her familiar smells, while they embraced.
"Oh, Scott, I love you too." Jean mumbled into the crook of his neck. "Don't leave me alone." She cried.
"I won't, Jean. I won't. I promise." They both sighed with relief and elation, then Jean looked up at him.
"Scott, something's wrong. The Phoenix… she feels amusement and gratification in hate and destruction… she hungers for it." Jean said, exasperated. "I can't hold her back much longer." Scott pulled off his ruby sunglasses to look her in the eye.
"Don't tell me what you can't do." He whispered to her. She smiled at him and hugged him again. "We need you, Jean. The world needs you."
"Scott, I need you." She said.
"I'm here."
"Well you shouldn't be." Scott and Jean looked at each other, confused, then up behind Scott where they'd heard the foreign voice come from. The two were shocked to see their intimacy cut short by Emma standing over them. In her surprise, Jean slipped and the Phoenix quickly took her over again, orange beams of light shooting from her eyes and mouth. The force of the Phoenix taking her body again knocked her back, leaving her disoriented. "You can't have her. She's mine. It's her destiny." Emma said, ignoring the phenomena they'd just witnessed. She glared angrily at Scott and held her hand up, curling it into a fist. Scott's mental projection of his mind responded in kind. Emma chuckled maniacally at him as he balled up in the fetal position, his body imploding on itself.
"Stop this." The Phoenix said as she regained her balance. She stood up and threw both Scott and Emma against two opposing invisible walls on either side of her. "His pain is no fun." She explained to Emma, who writhed against her unseen restraints holding her against the wall. Then the Phoenix turned to Scott, once again cold and vacant. "What do you need of me?" She asked.
* * *
"You all must learn together as one. Anticipate each other's moves and respond accordingly." Xavier ordered from the control center of the Danger room as the X-Men and Brotherhood battled a simulation together.
"I can't believe we're takin' orders from the X-Men." Quicksilver whined as he carried Magma out of harm's way.
"I can't believe I'm letting you put your hands where you've got 'em." She huffed back. Colossus knocked a large metal orb out of the way that was heading straight for them.
"Seriously, yo. All this trainin' and workin' sucks. Who signed us on for this?" Toad said with a lisp as he used his tongue to pull himself on top of one of the laser guns hooked into the wall, in order to stay out of their line of fire. He shrieked like a little girl when another gun from across the room locked on to his body heat and fired at him. He hopped off his perch and the shot hit the gun he was on top of.
"I did." The Scarlet Witch said, hexing a laser gun that seemed to have it out for her. "They said they needed an army." She explained.
"Never thought I'd say this…" Gambit said as he plucked a metal ball, that Blob had been shielding them from, off the ground. "But y'all talk too much." He charged the ball and threw it at a robot walking up behind Pyro. It exploded, alerting Pyro to its presence.
"Honestly, you're one t'talk, mate." Pyro said instead of 'thank you'.
"All of you, shut your mouths." Wolverine said as he sliced up another droid and added it to his pile.
"You must remain focused." Storm said as she fried another gun.
"Hey, Storm, juice me!" Berzerker shouted from the center of a circle of droids. Storm struck him with a lightening bolt, he absorbed the electricity, and blasted it back out at the robots, overloading them. He cheered at his own skill, not noticing another round clopping up behind him. Avalanche clenched his fists and made quick work of them.
"We do fine on our own." He growled, using his latest actions as an example. A square in the floor opened up and mechanical tentacles reached out for him, picking him up by the ankles and swinging him around in the air. Shadowcat ran after him and dove through the tentacles. They died and Lance fell on the floor.
"You know what?!" As all the weaponry in the room had been handled, a hush fell over the arena as Wanda shouted angrily. She was so furious an electro-magnetic pulse began radiating from her body, knocking everything back, man and machine. "If you guys wanna be lackeys your whole lives, that's fine with me, but I won't have anymore of it!!" Everyone just stared at her as she walked toward the door. When it didn't open for her, she waved her hand ripped it out of the wall, letting herself out. The professor and Mystique, up in the control room, took this moment of distraction to point out the students' flaw. Suddenly, every intact droid, shorted out or not, stood back up. Every gun that had not been ripped out of the wall poised and locked on their targets. And every projectile that lay on the ground, once again took flight. The metal floor beneath them turned to sand and began blowing about with the aid of strong gusts of wind.
"Whoa, when did they learn to do that?" Nightcrawler said.
"What do we do now, fearless leader?" Toad said to Cyclops as all the students backed into the center of the room.
"No worries, mate. I'll melt these things before they know what hit 'em." Pyro said as he fired up. The laser guns began shooting as his flames, causing a domino effect of everything to start.
"Storm, you handle the winds!" Cyclops directed through a mouthful of sand.
"I'm on it." She said as she took to the air to tame the sandstorm.
"Alvers, take care of the bots!" Avalanche rolled his eyes back in his head and stomped his foot, sending out a wave that knocked all the robots on the floor. Magma and Pyro began melting them down to make sure they didn't get back up.
"Next, Nightcrawler began teleporting Psylocke up to the laser guns while she sliced them off the wall. Berzerker helped out by shorting out any gun that fired at them, as a temporary solution. Cannonball and Sunspot took off, knocking all the largest projectiles out of the way, while Cyclops and Gambit took care of the smaller ones. Toad even caught a metal ball soaring at Cyclops's head. Blob and Colossus took to standing between flying laser fire and anyone in the way, while Shadowcat fazed people into safety. Iceman froze the cannons that were firing the projectiles and spiked disks and Jubilee blasted it to pieces. As the room finally died once again, everyone took a moment to breathe.
"Good job, guys. Took ya long enough." Quicksilver sneered. All the X-Men and brotherhood turned and growled at him collectively.
"Do you think they're ready?" Mystique asked Xavier in the control room. He rested his head on his steeple-fingered hands and sighed.
"Not by a long shot."
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Jean sat in a large arm chair in the middle of the Inner Circle's board room with her arms and legs crossed. She coldly ignored the lecture Emma and Sebastian were giving her. Jason sat in a shadowy corner waiting for his turn at her mind.
"Just what did you think you were doing?" Emma shouted as she paced back and forth. "I pulled you from your very death bed and trained you and looked after you… and this is the thanks I get? I should fry every synapse in that ungrateful head of yours. You know now I've got a huge bruise on my chest! I've cared for you like my own daughter and you just go and squeeze the cerebral fluids from my skull…"
"I didn't do that." Phoenix mumbled. "If I did, I'd only get to see you die once."
"What?!" Emma shouted furiously. "How dare you--"
"How dare I what? Use the knowledge and feelings you trained me to use? Your pathetic human lack of foresight could never have conceived that I would discriminate between whose suffering is more enjoyable… even yours."
"What did he say to you? That little twit--" Emma roared, looking for someone she could blame that she would be able to punish.
"Don't you dare call him a twit, you evil, heartless, witch!" Jean yelled as the Phoenix flared up about her.
"Ladies, please!" Sebastian jumped in. "Emma, love, let me have a moment to speak with her." Emma smiled.
"Your thoughts and feeling may not be human, but your body is. Beat some sense into her, please, Sebastian." He looked at Emma angrily, telling her to leave. She scoffed and began walking toward Jason's corner.
"Angering her like this is not the way to get what you want, my dear." Sebastian said to the Phoenix as if she were a child. Emma couldn't hear his whispers over her shoulder, but she amplified his thoughts. "Have patience." Sebastian continued. "Good things come to those who wait, my Black Queen."
"QUEEN?!" Emma shrieked. "You dare call her 'Queen' in my presence?! This is my house, little man, and there is only one queen. I've had enough of you, Sebastian. It's time for you to leave… the same way as my predecessor." With that, Emma busted a blood vessel in his brain. He fell to the floor and quickly bled to death wile Emma, Jason, and the Phoenix watched with a sick dissociation. Then Emma looked up at Phoenix as if she'd just dropped a worthless vase on the floor. "See what I had to do, Phoenix? Just because you wouldn't listen."
"Please. If you hadn't done it, I would have." Phoenix mumbled. Emma grimaced and called Jason over. "Oh don't insult me." She huffed.
"Phoenix, my love…" Jason's eyes began to glow as he attempted to engage his created memories.
"Love?" The Phoenix repeated as her eyes glowed orange and she filled with rage and allowed the power of the Phoenix to over take her. "You all don't even understand the meaning of the word, and because of that, I have suffered. Do not dare to call me love. Do not dare to insult the magnificent fragility of this human heart." She bellowed as she raised her hands toward the ceiling and an orange beam of light burst from them, through the roof. She began to fly up out the hole when Emma assaulted her with a mental missile blast.
"You're not going anywhere. You're going to pay for those repairs." Emma muttered bitterly as the Phoenix fell to the floor, temporarily debilitated. Mastermind stepped in and tried to make her love him again in a warm, clam setting. Instead, the Phoenix looked up and threw them both back against the wall.
"Your silly mind tricks will not work on me." She said as she ascended up to the hole in the ceiling. "I see you as you really are, you vile, old fools. I will let you live in order to witness the awesome power of the monster you have created, for I am the Dark Phoenix, and I have business of a universal importance to tend to."
* * *
The team walked out of the Danger Room after one of the hardest sessions they'd ever been subject to, ten times more so for the brotherhood. As all the kids laughed and joked while walked up to their rooms or showers, Wanda sat on the floor against the wall in the long metal hallway.
"Catch up to ya later, mates." Pyro said as he left Lance and Remy and went to Wanda. They both sighed; jealous he still had his girl to go talk to. "Whatsa matter, sheila?" Pyro said as he crouched down next to her. She just scooted away from him and waited for everyone else to leave. "Oh c'mon, what'd I do?"
"I work hard to become more than I am, but you guys would rather just sit on your butts and let humanity destroy itself. You all might be used to being puppets, but I've spent so much time trying to get away from all that and then you know what…? Suddenly, I don't even remember why. I'm just sick and tired of being manipulated, and I don't know what made think you would be too." Wanda huffed.
"Well…" Pyro started. "Independence and freedom are different for everyone. Strong, brilliant, hot birds like yourself find it most liberating to have no one to answer to but yourselves. Bumbling fools like the brothers and I… we're used to having people tell us when to do what for which reasons. For us, it's freedom from having to make thoughtful decisions or taking responsibility for our actions. It's just easier… y'know?" Wanda sighed as she glanced up at him. "But if you notice, we did stay in there and finish out the session. We may be stupid and lazy most of the time, but it doesn't mean we don't care about anything." She finally cracked half a smile at him. "Baby steps, love, baby steps."
"Who knew you'd be so insightful?" She said as she put her hand on his knee.
"I can do it some more, if you'd like." He watched her hand very carefully.
"Go for it." She smiled.
"Uh…" He thought quickly, hoping not to miss his window of her good mood. "Uh… if a tree falls in the woods, and no one's around to hear it, does it really make a sound??" She rolled her eyes and put her hand back in her lap. "Hey, that was deep!"
"Yeah. About two centuries ago… what ever happened to originality?" She said as she started to get up.
"No, wait, don't go. I got one for ya." She turned around and looked at him, waiting to hear another sarcastic quip. "I don't know if I believe in Magneto any more."
"You don't what?" She asked in disbelief as she sat back down next to him.
"I been thinkin' a lot since I been here, and every time I hear myself proclaim mutant supremacy, I wanna punch myself in the face." He explained. "Y'know, the only thing we can agree on, is that baseline humans are stupid." Wanda nodded as she listened to him. "The only way you get smart is by learning, right?" She nodded again. "Well, the X-Men are tryin' t'teach 'em one thing, and every time they gain a little lee-way, we blow somethin' up, do somethin' stupid. It's like settin' a hamster down in front of a TV, then switchin' the channel on him, and askin' what he's learned. If normal humans think like I do, all they remember is the big, firey explosion at the end." Wanda finally looked up at him and smiled.
"Nobody thinks like you do, Pyro." She tried to comfort him. "But most people do have a conscience. What scares me though is that mine is telling me the same thing."
"Really?" He perked up when she sympathized. She nodded, and he was struck with an idea. "How 'bout when this whole 'end of the world/Apocalypse' thing is over an' done with, you an' I get outta here and do something about our naggin' consciences?"
"I think that sounds good." Wanda said as she leaned over closer to him.
"Hey! What're you doin'?" He grumbled as she began to invade his personal space. She closed her eyes tilted her head toward him. "Oh I get it." He mumbled as he closed his eyes and waited for her.
"Baby cakes! You're cheatin' on me?!" Pyro and Wanda were interrupted. They looked up to see Kitty and Toad poking out of the danger room wall above them.
"Toad! I said you could watch if you stayed quiet!" Kitty said as she phased all the way through the wall and through Wanda and Pyro to stand in front of them. She left Toad stuck in the wall and watched him as he flailed about.
"How could I stay quiet while the woman I love runs into the arms of another man?" Wanda sighed and rubbed her forehead as she zapped his mouth shut.
"Who said you could watch anyway?" Pyro shouted at Kitty.
"What do you mean 'who said you could watch'? I always get to spy! Face it, matchstick, if you wanna live here, you gotta get used to the rules… and lack of privacy." Kitty explained as she pulled Toad out of the wall. Pyro and Wanda both sighed as they stood up to go to the elevator, keeping their plans in the back of their minds.
"Wanda! Cuddle bumps!! Wait up!" Toad shouted after her.
"Hey, listen, butt bumper, the witch had a choice to make and she made it!" Pyro yelled back at him.
"Hey!" Wanda chided him as she hit Pyro on the back of the head.
"Watch the stitches, sheila." He grumbled.
"Lay off Toad." She ordered. "Don't make me regret my decision." Pyro looked down at the floor, ashamed. Toad jumped off the floor to chase after them as they slipped into the elevator, but Kitty held him back.
"Let go of me, you crazy Kat!!"
"Toad, calm down, listen for a sec." She said back. "You're not going anywhere til I say so."
"Aw man. Whadda you want?" He said, finally calming down as he sat on the floor.
"Okay, look. Wanda obviously isn't into you." She said bluntly.
"Thanks for tellin' me, fur ball." Toad mumbled.
"What I'm saying… is that… like, if she doesn't see all the great things about you, maybe she isn't worth your time, y'know what I mean?"
"Great things? Like what great things?" Toad smiled up at her, revealing his slimy yellow teeth. At first she reeled back at the terrible stench of his breath.
"Well, um… your loyalty is kinda sweet… I guess." She responded, thinking quickly.
"Really? Y'think so?" finally she could nothing but smile back at his sad, puppy dog face, only looking for positive reinforcement.
"Sure, Toad." She said honestly.
* * *
"Scott, Logan, Mystique and Ororo, I'm sorry to disturb you all from your much needed rest, but I have some new battle strategies I feel it's imperative to discuss with you."
"Ungh…" Scott grumbled as he walked down to the planning room outside the danger room.
"I need my beauty sleep." Mystique groaned.
"Quit complainin'." Logan said. "If the prof. thinks this is important, it really must be."
"Logan's right." Ororo chimed in. "I need rest just as much as the rest of you, but you must remember, if you want to reap the benefits of your beauty sleep, you'll need a world to display it in. And if Apocalypse has his way--"
"I know, I know." Mystique cut her off. "It was a figure of speech. I don't need a lecture from Mother Earth."
"You could use a lecture from somebody…" Logan mumbled.
"What did you say?" Mystique growled viciously.
"Good morning, team." Xavier interrupted them as they walked into the room. They all grumbled their 'hellos'.
"What's so important it couldn't wait til after 8 hours of sleep?" Mystique demanded.
"I'm glad you asked." Charles smiled. "With Hank's information on the four energy domes; one in Mexico, One in China, and two in Egypt at Khafre's pyramid and the Sphinx, I've split the students up into four groups."
"Based on what?" Logan asked. "How do you know what we'll need in each group?"
"I have several options. First, they're all divided up based on their powers. There's a group of energy projectors, hand-to-hand fighters, elementals, and strong men and teleporters. And then I've also split them up so there's a little bit of each at each site."
"Wouldn't the second option be best since we don't know anything about our opponents?" Ororo asked.
"Yes, Storm, I agree. I tell you this now so you all can be thinking about your plans for your training sessions with your tea--" Xavier suddenly stopped short.
"While the rest of us are young…" Mystique muttered.
"What's wrong, professor?" Scott asked.
"Did you feel that?" He responded.
"I did…" Logan growled. "In my bones…"
"What is it?" Mystique barked, growing quickly impatient.
"Please excuse me, I need to go to my study." Charles answered. "Please be thinking about this, making your plans for your danger room sessions this afternoon. If you have any questions, my door is always open. Now get some rest." The four watched him as he abruptly wheeled out of the room.
"Logan, what's going on?" Scott asked, as they were all completely clueless.
"Magneto…" He answered.
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Rogue151 – Thanks a million!! Yup yup… what's goin' on? Who knows? Oh wait… I know… but I'm not tellin'!! Keep reading and keep reviewing, and maybe one day, you'll find out… bwah ha ha ha ha ha!!!
Aro – Whoo hoo!! You still have all your appendages!! Now you can review again!!! Here's another update, so I hope you're happy… I definitely am!!! I hate it when you find those very rare, well written fic with good grammar and form, and character and plot development, as well as action, but then they NEVER update!! It makes me so mad. That's why I make a special point to update regularly… and, because if I didn't, I would just forget all about writing and have all these ideas in my head and go crazy!!! So long story short, keep reviewing, and I'll know there are people out there reading and I'll keep posting!! Thanks a lot!
evanescence kicks ass – This is Sofi, right? I'm glad you like the Jonda-ness, it doesn't seem to be all that popular… it just clicks for me though. I hope you like this chapter, it's Jonda-licious, just like I promised!! Although, it is a bit Jotty, I must say. Poor Pyro… he needs some lovin!!
Gothic Cajun – Weird good works for me!! I hope you like this one too! Keep reviewing, and as I explained up there ^^^ somewhere, I'll keep posting!
Amanda14 – I'm glad you like kidnappings. You have to like kidnappings to like this story; nobody ever seems to be able to stay in one place for very long! I'm glad you like the carol cover-up, I thought it would sound a little rushed, like I pulled it out of my butt or something, but ever since I wrote the chapter where Rogue takes her powers, I've been racking my brain to think of a way to bring her back into it. Thanks for the review, and the vindication!!
Ishandahalf – Huh? What? Where?!?! Oh… damn… I hope you come back in time to review again!! (Do I sound desperate??) You and I are on the same wavelengths when it comes to fan fic pairings. I'm definitely a hardcore Romy fan, but Jonda is good too. The only thing I don't like is Lancitty… but it's comin' up… it's unavoidable. Oh well. However fast a bunny on crack is, I hope this is it!
Andi – Yay for the reviewing!! Keep it up!! I'm glad you like the plot twists, somebody who reviewed earlier said things were kinda happening too fast. I agree cause I'm constantly writing it, (used up a whole notebook, 134 pages front and back just X-Men: Evo fan fic!!) but you, the viewers are reading chapters once a week like a television show, so stuff always has to be happening or you'll lose interest. These are like my episodes!!! Wow, lots of episodes!! Long story short, thanks for reviewing, keep it up!!!
Lid'l Rogue – Yay!! I'm glad you like it! Keep reviewing!!
Jaina – Where ya been all this time?? I can't believe you read this whole big mama-jamma I'm spending entirely too much of my precious youth on, in one sitting. Are you a fast reader or something?? Anyhoo, I'm glad you like it, and I'm glad you reviewed. It's a good thing you're addicted because… all addictions are good! Right? Anyway, keep reviewing!!
